


You'll Think of Me

by PriorityNaps



Category: Gintama
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, Fluff, Kissing, Living Together, Love, M/M, Romance, Sweet, Two Shot, softies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-11-07 16:37:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20820455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PriorityNaps/pseuds/PriorityNaps
Summary: Chapter I: Katsura spends the day with Takasugi before he has to leave town.Chapter II: Hijikata finally gets to see his lover after weeks of being apart.





	1. Takasugi&Katsura

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sweetysweetssugarytreats](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweetysweetssugarytreats/gifts).

> 'Tis a small birthday present for the sweetest person I've met. You're on the other side of the world so this is the least I could do. Hope you had an awesome day, honey!!!

It’s a wonderful Saturday evening when Katsura is lounging on the living room’s sofa and flipping through a catalog for decorative pillows. He and Takasugi had moved into their own apartment just a couple of weeks ago and weren’t properly settled yet. So it was a given that the rooms still looked drab what with the lack of decor and furniture. Takasugi didn’t care for this stuff all that much but Katsura had taken on the responsibility to furnish everything enough so their new home didn’t look like the office of his boss’s workplace. 

Okay but seriously, what was with his boss? Not only are there no frames up on his walls, everything in his office is some shade of grey or gunmetal. 

Oh, and he never smiles. 

Not even when his  _ wife  _ calls. 

His own  _ lover _ . 

And speaking of lovers, where the hell was Takasugi? He’d gone into the bedroom an hour ago, did he suddenly decide to conk out on the bed? The guy loves sleeping, it wouldn’t exactly be a surprise if he was doing just that. 

Katsura closes the magazine with a sigh and tosses it onto the makeshift table in front of the couch before standing and stretching. It’s nice hearing his joints pop into place if not a little unnerving after lying at a really odd angle for who knows how long. He makes his way to the door Takasugi had closed earlier and knocks gently before entering.

Takasugi is inside all right, but he’s not napping as Katsura had thought. He’s on the phone with someone, visibly exasperated and pacing as un-awkwardly as he can what with the unopened boxes randomly scattered around the room. He’s probably burning calories with the wild hand gestures he’s making.

When he sees Katsura stood in the doorway he mumbles an annoyed ‘I’ve gotta go’ and hangs up. 

“What was that about?” Katsura asks. 

“Call from work. Apparently there’s a conference a few towns over and the person from our team who was supposed to go called in sick. And everyone else seems to be conveniently unavailable so I’m replacing her.”

Katsura tucks a lock of hair behind his ear and crosses his arms over his chest.

“I see. When is the conference?”

Takasugi drags a hand down his face. “Day after tomorrow. I’ll have to catch a train sometime tomorrow evening.”

Katsura nods in understanding and presses his lips together. He hates last-minute things, especially when it’s got to with himself or Takasugi. He likes being organized and on top of things and gets easily irked when that doesn’t happen. Call it perfectionism or whatever, but keeping everything in control has helped him in a lot of situations.

“How long will you be away?”

Takasugi breaks eye contact, opting for staring at Katsura’s feet. 

“‘Bout a week or so,” he says quietly. His answer is followed by silence save for the ticking clock by the doorway. It’s not a welcoming kind of silence, it makes it clear that Katsura isn’t happy with the information he just received. 

“I better get packing,” Takasugi finally says. “Wanna help out, or…?”

“Yeah, sure. What’re you gonna put your stuff in?”

Takasugi scratches at his cheek and looks around the room like his answer is lying somewhere on the floor. It is, actually, because his eyes fall on a mostly empty grey carry-on in the corner. He jerks his chin in its direction and Katsura walks over to pick it up and set it on the bed. 

“Alright, it’s just one week, so pack pajamas, the clothes you’ll be wearing to the meetings, and a few T-shirts. And take the travel-size toiletries too. I’ll go find something for you to put all the small stuff in so they don’t go all over the place.” 

“‘Kay, thanks.”

Katsura hums and steps out of the room, leaving Takasugi to his own devices. Suddenly the Saturday evening is no longer wonderful. How can it be when he’s just gotten the news that his lover will be away for some time? 

Sure, it won’t be for long, but that would mean he’d be alone in the apartment for a few days. He isn’t paranoid about being alone or anything, he’s out of the house for most of the day anyway. It’s just the feeling of sheer emptiness that lingers in the atmosphere without Takasugi’s presence. 

Ever since they got together Takasugi has been a huge part of Katsura’s life. It’s like he filled the void in his heart that he never knew was there. 

He heads to the kitchen and rummages through the drawers until he comes across a box of zipper storage bags. That should do for the toiletries, so he pulls one out, makes sure it’s the right size, and starts filling it with a small tube of toothpaste, a little shampoo bottle, and other things. 

Once he’s done he seals the bag and gives himself a pat on the shoulder, then goes to check up on Takasugi. The guy’s back is facing him and he’s sifting through the dresser’s drawers. There are random garments strewn about on the floor beside his feet, probably out of frustration. 

Actually, it’s most likely frustration, because while they were moving into the new apartment Katsura learned just how terrible Takasugi is at packing. He forgets where he put things and doesn’t know which items should go here and which should go there. Katsura had done most of the organizing and stuff because again, he likes being on top of things. 

He takes quiet steps until he’s reached Takasugi, then bends down to pick the clothes off the floor. 

“Can’t find what you’re looking for?”

Takasugi sighs and tosses a pair of shorts over his shoulder, which Katsura catches midair. “Nope.”

“Need a hand?” Katsura asks, setting the shorts on the bed. 

“Kinda, yeah.”

“Thought so. Here, let me.” He nudges Takasugi aside with his hip and a few minutes later he’s tossed six T-shirts Takasugi’s way for the other to fold. Obviously he doesn’t do a good job at it so again Katsura has to fix things. 

“Take three pairs of pants too. Actually, wait, what’s the weather there gonna be like?”

Takasugi pulls his phone out his pocket and taps a few things here and there. “Mostly hot. Says it’s gonna rain on Thursday, though.”

“Ok, so take two pairs instead of three, and one or two pairs of shorts, your call. And you’ll also want to pack a windbreaker and umbrella in case it rains like the forecast says.”

Katsura neatly piles the tees into the carry-on while he talks and tucks the zipper storage bag in as well. Then he goes back to the dresser to grab pants and shorts while Takasugi kind of just… stands there. 

“...Oi. Go get an umbrella. There’s one in the coat closet by the front door. And your jacket. But not the fleece one, that doesn’t hold in rainy weather.”

“Okay, mom.” 

Katsura whips his head around to scowl at Takasugi.

“Ex- _ cuse _ me?”

-x-X-x-X-x-

Finally, they’re done. It’s no surprise that Katsura had taken care of everything while Takasugi sat criss-cross on the bed and watched. At one point he even laid down on his stomach and started snoring for about ten minutes. 

The carry-on is by the couch in the living room, the same one Katsura was flopped on not too long ago. He and Takasugi are currently curled up on said couch, him with another catalog in hand and Takasugi doing God-knows-what on his phone. 

The TV has been set up and there are likely a few good shows on right now but neither is really in the mood for that kind of commitment or attention. Couples are known to bond when watching a film together or whatever but that isn’t the case for Katsura and Takasugi. 

They enjoy the silence because that way the moments seem to last longer and can be savored to the last bit. And yes, they are absolutely fine with not speaking to each other because contrary to popular opinion, the ambiance doesn’t get extremely awkward or anything like that. 

“‘M gettin’ sleepy, Zura.”

Katsura looks up from his catalog, then to his left where Takasugi isn’t bothering to cover his yawning mouth. 

“Wanna go to bed?” He looks up at the wall clock and it tells him it’s just past 9:30. 

“‘S too early for that, don’t ya think?”

“Yeah. Then what d’you wanna do? Obviously your phone isn’t entertaining you anymore.”

Takasugi grunts and shuts the thing off before setting it on the table in front of them. “It’s almost dead battery anyway.” 

“Ah, like phone, like owner.”

“Shaddap. I had a long day.”

This earns him a scoff.

“Doing what, napping?”

“Oi, oi, I’m being attacked.”

“You don’t like being attacked?”

“Hell to the  _ no _ I don’t like verbal abuse.”

Katsura chuckles lightly and places the catalog on the table before climbing over and on top of Takasugi’s sprawled out form. He hears a surprised yelp but it doesn’t stop him from wriggling his arms under his lover to wrap them properly around his waist. 

“What about this?”

“Mmm. Better than verbal abuse.”

Katsura sinks his fingers into Takasugi’s sides to squeeze playfully.

“Good!”

They both go quiet after that. Of course, neither’s got a problem with it because not only are cuddles super rare between them, it all goes right back to savoring the time they spend together. Plus, there’s the fact that they won’t be seeing each other in person for a while and that makes this so much more important. 

And Katsura won’t be lying if he says he completely forgot that Takasugi had to leave tomorrow. Honestly, that time he spent loading the carry-on, though insignificant when compared to it, really felt like the days when he was moving in with his lover. His belongings weren’t much since he was still fresh out of university but there was no mistaking the absolute thrill of the whole experience. It wasn’t even that long ago but it sure feels like it was. 

And Katsura likes that, how time doesn’t seem to go by fast when he’s with Takasugi even though it should be if he really thinks about it. They’re never bored together or anything, and it’s not like they stay silent either. Sometimes it’s even hard to remember what he’d done the day before because he’s so caught up in everything else. 

“Hold on, move,” Takasugi says suddenly. 

“Eh? Why?”

“You’re heavy, Zura. Chop chop.”

Does Katsura move? Of course not! He’d just been called fat by his equally fat boyfriend! And how is he fat? Fifty-four percent of his diet consists of greens!

“Not happening! Not until you take that back.”

“Ugh, no thanks, I’ve had enough of your back.”

“That’s not what I meant! Take back what you said ‘bout me.”

“Y’mean when I said ‘Zura’?”

“It's Katsura! And no! The other thing!”

Takasugi looks puzzled, then says, “What, that you’re fat?”

Katsura gasps and jabs Takasugi’s cheek with his finger.

“Owwwww! Cut your damn nails, Zura!”

“It’s Katsura! And how dare you call me fat!”

“Alright, I’m sorry my skinny little Zura!”

“ _ Katsura! _ ”

“My wonderfully fit Katsura!”

Katsura finally withdraws his finger and gingerly rolls off. Much to his chagrin, Takasugi has the gall to gulp down oxygen like someone was pinching his nose and mouth shut for a good minute. Katsura actually considers doing just that but doesn’t. 

“Yo, Zura.”

“It’s Katsura.”

Takasugi ignores him. “Why’re you so self-conscious ‘bout being called fat? ‘S not like you are and I thought you’d know I was only kidding, but still.”

Katsura stays silent and thinks for some time. After that, he shrugs. 

A sigh. “You’re unbelievable. Anyway, don’t feel that way, alright? I don’t care what you or others think of your appearance, you’re the most perfect thing to me in the world. I wouldn’t change a thing about you, got that?” He rolls over onto his back and sits up to cup Katsura’s cheek. His palm feels rough against the softer skin there but a smile creeps its way onto Katsura’s face anyway. When Takasugi brings his head just the tiniest bit closer he takes the cue to close his eyes and tilt his own a bit to the right.

A few seconds pass and nothing happens, then suddenly Takasugi’s hand falls away and there’s the sound of him slumping back on the couch.

“Wh― oi!”

“Shh, ‘m sleepy.”

“But kiss!”

“Nnnn― later.”

Katsura huffs and crosses his arms when the other reaches back to scratch the small of his back. Takasugi just about killed the mood, but he still believes there’s a chance for them to get all soft with each other again. As mentioned earlier, cuddles weren’t common with the two of them and it sucked because he loves cuddles.

His opportunity comes when Takasugi shifts after a moment to lie on his left side with his ass facing the couch’s back. There’s a small gap in that space and if Katsura mentally quashes the comments earlier he thinks he can fit through. 

Katsura takes a stab at it, gently seizing Takasugi by the hips so he doesn’t suddenly fall off and wriggling around until his chest is pressed snugly against his lover’s back. It takes a minute or two, but to his surprise and relief, Takasugi doesn’t do anything to stop him. In fact, he doesn’t make any move except this barely audible ‘eep’ when Katsura touched him. 

“You comfy?” Katsura asks after a beat.

“Mmm.” Takasugi reaches back to grab his forearm and bring it over so it lays on his side. Katsura gets the hint and, just like earlier, pushes his other arm out from under Takasugi to spoon him properly. When he’s done the other lets out a pleased little noise that has his own ears heating up.

It’s sometimes hard to process how different Takasugi can be when it’s just the two of them. In public, he’s like a scowly old man that glares at basically everything and yeah, Katsura’s cool with that. Because he isn’t like that when no one’s watching. He smiles a lot more often and lets the caring side of himself shine through. Katsura isn’t trying to brag here or anything but it does make him feel very special knowing that only he’s seen this side of Takasugi. 

When he was first told about Gintoki’s new relationship with Hijikata a couple of years back he’d be lying if he said he didn’t feel a slight pang of loneliness. He is fully aware that those two were very guarded people and weren’t the type to grow close with others. And okay, Gintoki is a pro at socializing, but Hijikata is nearly the complete opposite. If he’s not feeling it, he’ll only give one-word answers and will stick to what’s relevant in conversations. 

Just like Takasugi.

The first time Katsura found out that this odd feeling of warmth that sprung up in his chest when he’d watch Takasugi was  _ love _ , he was almost immediately hit with a sense of doom. All he could deduce from it was how there was no way he could act on those feelings and actually be together with him like that. The guy was too unlike himself.

But opposites did attract. Seeing Gintoki with Hijikata had definitely given him that boost, that dose of confidence. It was the end of September― the 29th, to be exact― when he’d done it, heart pounding and adrenaline taking over him. Takasugi was surprised and quite speechless about it, but Katsura won’t ever forget the look on his face afterward. 

He thought these kinds of cliche things only happened in movies, but that day proved just how wrong he was. They’ve been together ever since. Every couple had their ups and downs and they were no exception. But there was no fear of them separating or simply drifting away out of lack of excitement because, at the end of the day, their little arguments were petty and insignificant. 

A soft snore interrupts Katsura’s thoughts. He cranes his neck a little to see that Takasugi’s eyes are shut and he’s well asleep. His purple hair is pushed away from his face so the thin scar close to his eyebrow that he chooses to conceal is visible. Katsura doesn’t understand why he hides it and never asks. He thinks it looks perfect on Takasugi, not that he’s happy he received that kind of injury. 

The one time he was forced to chop the longer bangs off at the barbershop (Katsura told the stylist to do it and neither was willing to create a scene so nothing was said after that), Takasugi had resorted to wearing an eyepatch over his left eye. It was downright ridiculous because not only was nothing wrong with that eye, it didn’t even cover the scar. Takasugi said something like ‘it attracts more attention than the scar’ and wasn’t  _ that _ just about the dumbest thing Katsura’s ever heard. 

Anyway, Takasugi’s asleep. Katsura would be willing to carry him to their bedroom but the guy’s quite the light sleeper. He’d wake up almost immediately and would likely sock Katsura in the pretty little face on instinct. 

So he does the next best thing. He drops his head back against the armrest and lets his own eyes close as well. He’s not in the mood to get up and go somewhere, not even to brush his teeth and change into his duck-printed pajama bottoms. Sure, he’ll feel gross as hell come morning but if he thinks about it, it’s super worth it. 

He isn’t sure when but he does doze off eventually. It’s a wonderful feeling too, knowing he’s got Takasugi pressed up against him and the strange but comforting scent of his shampoo invading his nostrils with every calm breath he takes in his sleep. 

-x-X-x-X-x-

Takasugi’s not there when he wakes up. There’s subtle pain shooting up Katsura’s spine and that tells him just how uncomfortable a position he was sleeping in. His mouth feels… sticky, and his hair is a freaking bird’s nest, he can tell without even looking. There’s the noise of water running somewhere in the apartment so Takasugi’s either washing up or making breakfast. 

He groggily sits up and presses the heels of his palms to his eyes. They tend to sting when he wakes up and he hates it because he’s got to squint his way to the bathroom and then the closet. He’s bumped his hip or stubbed his toe on some pointy thing a number of times when doing that and it just makes it all the more inconvenient and annoying. 

He has to pass the kitchen to reach the bathroom and unfortunately, Takasugi’s not there with a bowl of cereal or whatever. It’s  _ unfortunate _ because there’s only one other possibility of his whereabouts.

“OI! Hurry up n’ get outta the bathroom, will ya?! I needa pee!”

“I just got in here!” is the muffled response on the other side of the door. 

“Sure ya did, asshat.”

“I’m staying here ten minutes longer just for that comment.”

Katsura grabs the doorknob and jiggles it. “ _ Hell _ no! I apologize sincerely.”

“You gotta do better than that.”

He sighs. “I’ll make breakfast.”

The door opens suddenly to reveal Takasugi, fresh out the shower and with a comb in his hand.

Without a shirt on.

“Awesome! Thanks, Zura.”

He gently pushes past him and ambles off to the kitchen.

“ _ It’s Katsura _ ,” Katsura hisses, even more annoyed now that he’s been tricked so early in the morning. 

And well, he’s right. It looks like Elizabeth, that duck from the park that always visits him for breadcrumbs, decided to lay an egg or two in his hair. He’s seen worse, though he’s surprised Takasugi didn’t comment on it or look at him weird, the bastard.

He mulls over a shower but decides against it. He’d need to take his mind off things once Takasugi leaves later in the day and nothing’s better than standing still and letting warm water roll down his body. It’s true that that leaves him alone with his thoughts but he’ll make an exception just this one time. 

Once he’s out and looking a lot better than he did ten minutes ago, a sweet smell hits his nostrils. If he didn’t already know how good a cook Takasugi is, he’d be  _ really _ confused.

Turns out he’s making pancakes. A few are already stacked on a large plate closeby and the man himself is stood at the stove with a spatula in one hand. He’s quietly humming, Katsura learns as he draws closer.

“Good morning.”

Takasugi looks over his shoulder and grins. “Mornin’.”

“I thought I was making breakfast.”

“Oh, you were. But you were taking too long on the toilet.”

Katsura grabs two tall glasses from the cupboard and walks over to the fridge.

“I was in there for  _ ten minutes _ !” he scoffs.

“Well, ten minutes might not seem like a lot when you’re takin’ a shit but it does to someone waiting for their breakfast to be served.”

...He has a point.

Katsura’s got no comeback to that so he huffs and fills the two glasses with milk and squeezes a generous amount of chocolate syrup in Takasugi’s glass. In his opinion, too much of the syrup pretty much ruins the taste of chocolate milk but so isn’t the case with his lover. It almost rivals his love for yakult, honestly. 

“Hey, how far away is the train station again?” he asks. 

Takasugi flips the pancakes over on the griddle and says, “About an hour or so. I’d say we leave sometime around three.”

According to the time on the microwave, right now it’s just past ten in the morning. That means Katsura’s got less than five hours to spend before―

“Hey, if you’re counting the number of hours you have left with me then don’t. This ain’t goodbye, Zura.”

“It’s Katsura,” is the automatic response. “And how do you―”

“It’s on your face, Zura―” 

“ _ Katsura _ .” 

“―and you wouldn’t ask dumb questions like that so early in the morning.” 

“How is that dumb?”

“Be- _ cause _ , Zura.” Takasugi places the pancakes on the plate, wipes his hands on a paper towel, shuts the burner off, and turns around to lean his ass against the counter. “I know you already know the answer to that question. Was that your attempt at keepin’ the conversation goin’ or something?”

Katsura stirs the spoon in Takasugi’s chocolate milk and stays silent. 

“Don’t worry about that stuff. There’ll be plenty of time for us to hang out, alright?”

Katsura nods and takes the glasses to the four-seater table. Takasugi is close behind with the pancakes so he heads back to the kitchen to grab a few smaller plates and forks. 

“Get the syrup n’ whipped cream too!”

“Ah, yeah.”

Once they’re all settled neither waits to dig in. Takasugi goes straight to downing a third of his milk and Katsura plops three pancakes onto his plate and douses them in syrup. They’ve both got their weird antics even when it comes to eating but they know they’re not alone. They’ve seen Gintoki live off sugar for three days (without getting high blood sugar or passing out!) and Hijikata practically inhale a bottle of mayonnaise in one sitting. 

It was gross but applaudable. 

-x-X-x-X-x-

Three hours to go. 

Takasugi’s at the wheel and Katsura trusts his driving skills enough to let him borrow his car for the day. They’re getting away from the city, that much is obvious. Katsura is not paying much attention, just staring at his linked fingers and not out the window. He isn’t reprimanded for it, so whatever. 

The window on his side is rolled down about halfway and it makes pleasant little chills tingle up his spine. It’s the end of September and the equinox was just a few days back, so it’s starting to get chilly bit by bit, especially in the morning when the sun isn’t fully out yet. Katsura’s favorite season has arrived; he doesn’t like summer or winter because they’re too extreme and spring has him sneezing left and right from allergies. 

Autumn’s got such a wonderful feeling to it, and it’s not just because of the pumpkin flavors that get reintroduced in coffee shops around this time. Everything is a shade of red or orange or yellow, and the air always feels crisp. He sees deer and squirrels more often and gets to wear a mix of T-shirts and sweaters. He gets to step on leaves and relish the  _ crunch _ that comes after. 

Frankly, the only bad thing about the season is that Elizabeth has to leave for a warmer area. A lot of the times he just considers taking her home and setting her plushy self by the fireplace if it ever gets too cold.

“We’re here!”

Katsura looks up from his hands and gawks out the window. They’re not in downtown; in fact, this is the complete opposite. 

There’s a park about half an hour away from his and Takasugi’s apartment. It’s filled with trees and has a small lake somewhere. The place is wonderful for enjoying the scenic autumn foliage, and many couples like to take walks on the sidewalk or bridges the park holds. 

That’s where they are now. 

Takasugi planned to take him for a walk in one of his favorite places in Tokyo. 

“What, you don’t wanna go here?” 

Katsura’s ponytail practically smacks him in the face with how quickly he whips his head in Takasugi’s direction.

“Huh? What makes you think that?”

Takasugi shrugs.

“Dunno. You haven’t said anything and you’re kinda just sitting there not makin' a move.”

“It’s called taking in the view. Haven’t you heard of it?”

“Ah, I see. You’re so in awe it’s left you speechless.”

“ _ When _ did I say that?”

“Just now!”

“You― whatever. Let’s go.”

They both climb out of the car and Takasugi forgot he had his phone in his lap or something because the thing clatters to the floor before he can make a dive for it. He lets out this really odd squeal and picks it up with his thumb and index finger like it’ll crack all over the place if he grips it too hard.

“Good God, please don’t be―  _ phew _ .”

It seems nothing’s damaged. Katsura thinks they’re going to get walking but then has to wait patiently, hands in his pockets, while Takasugi cradles his phone and nuzzles it against his cheek.

_ The fuck? _

More than a minute passes and Katsura can no longer hold himself back from (gently) clubbing Takasugi in the head. 

“Owwww!”

“Are we walking or not?!”

“Yeah, yes, we are, just―” Takasugi squints at his phone a second or two before nodding and tucking it away in his jacket pocket.

“You’ll drop it again that way, put it in your jeans pocket.”

“‘Kay.”

They walk quietly at first, ambling aimlessly and thoroughly enjoying what’s around them. Seriously though, it’s all so pretty! The sun isn’t covered by thick clouds so it shines down through the branches and onto the forest floor. Rust and amber-colored leaves are everywhere, and they float through the air when a short breeze whirls by. 

They soon come across a bridge and here they can see the lake. It’s a picturesque view, what with the red and orange trees being reflected in the water. A few ducks and geese are swimming around and their movements create small ripples on the smooth surface. It all looks so peaceful, Katsura would gladly live in this moment for the rest of his life. 

“Hey, Zura, look.”

“Hm?”

Takasugi’s pointing to the short of the lake, where there are random tufts of green grass and a mother duck with four fuzzy little ducklings behind her. 

“What is it?”

“The duck.”

Katsura blinks. 

“What about it?”

“You don’t recognize it?”

“Uh, no?”

Takasugi walks over to the duck and crouches down beside it. Normally it would make some weird hissy noise and get him to back the hell off, but it simply ignores him. 

Katsura is utterly confused. Don’t ducks become more aggressive than they usually are when they have offspring closeby? 

“Why isn’t it reacting?” he asks.

“Because,” Takasugi looks up at him and grins. “It knows us.”

Katsura blinks again.

“Knows us? How does it know us, I’ve never met a mother duck that didn’t try to snap my heels off when I got too close.”

“Oh my  _ God _ , Zura it’s not that hard to figure out.”

“Shut it, know-it-all, I’m trying to remember here―”

“It’s Elizabeth.”

Well, all that thinking flies out the window the second he hears a name.  _ Elizabeth _ ? How could she have had ducklings when he doesn’t recall her ever laying eggs? Had she kept it secret? 

But forget all that, Elizabeth had  _ kids _ ! She’s a  _ mom _ now! And that made Katsura a grandfather at 23!

“I’m a grandfather!”

Takasugi wrinkles his nose.

“What?”

“I’m the grandfather of these little ducklings!”

“...What?”

“Now who’s being an idiot?! It only makes sense. If I’m Elizabeth’s owner and she has kids, then those kids are my grandchildren.”

Takasugi stares at him in disbelief.

“That makes  _ no _ sense, Zura. Are you saying Eli here is your kid? Is that it?”

“Well, yes. Haven’t you been listening to me?”

“You― oh, never mind. We’re not here for that.”

Katsura hums in agreement, mentally pumping a fist for having won an argument. He focuses on Elizabeth, still processing the fact that she’s a mother now. All this time it’d just been the two of them and occasionally Takasugi, but here she is, tending to four precious little babies all on her own.

Katsura is proud. 

Neither he nor Takasugi moves when they watch them. If Elizabeth wanted to meet them she’d have to come herself because otherwise, it feels like they’re butting into something they shouldn’t be. The atmosphere is so tender and at this point, speaking seems plain wrong. 

It’s when Takasugi tugs lightly at his jacket sleeve that he realizes the clock is still ticking. He glances at his grandchildren one more time before standing and following his lover to the center of the bridge that’s near them. When they get there, neither has to say anything. They’re on the same mindset with this so they meet halfway in just about the most meaningful kiss Katsura has ever had. 

It’s slow and pleasant and gentle, it sends tiny shudders rolling down his back, it makes him reach for Takasugi and pull him closer. There’s nothing sloppy about it, just his lips against Takasugi’s and that’s it. 

Katsura is about to flick his tongue out when a breeze decides to whip his hair around and get in the way. They pull apart, chuckling softly and with their foreheads pressed together. Takasugi’s got that little glint in his eye that only appears when he’s either extremely happy or being mischevious. 

_ Don’t go tonight _ , Katsura wants to say, but instead, he hooks a finger under Takasugi’s chin and kisses him again. This time he makes sure to lazily swipe his tongue against his lover’s lips and is pleased when Takasugi’s breath hitches and he opens up immediately. Katsura makes sure to keep his teeth out of the way so nothing gets rough because frankly, he wants this all to stay gentle. They could save the steamy ones for some other time. 

Plus, Elizabeth might be watching. 

...And the grandkids.

-x-X-x-X-x-

They get back with about an hour and a half to spare. That meant Katsura only had ha―

“Are you thinking about how much time we have left again?”

“Huh?” 

Katsura looks over at Takasugi, who’s removing his shoes by the door and frowning at him.

“...No.”

“Mhmm. Just gonna use the bathroom real quick, then we’ll get going, ‘kay? There are a few shops at the station so we can hang out there and walk around.”

Katsura nods, and Takasugi pats him on the arm before heading to the bathroom. 

He’s alone now. 

With his thoughts. 

Honestly, he hates how much he thinks at times like these. There have been many times in their relationship where they’ve been away from each other, mostly because of one of their jobs. And he clearly remembers that each time he just feels so  _ empty _ without his lover. Like half of his heart had been given to Takasugi and vice versa since they began dating. 

Dating.

The word still sounds so foreign to him. Truth be told, he doesn’t recall ever saying it out loud. Sure, it’s his first time at love, but to him, it’s so much more than that. Something in him is always yearning for Takasugi, for his touch and his scent. Nearly every word exchanged between them holds some meaning to it. 

Most couples get really intimate when they have sex or whatever, but it doesn’t apply to them. Something as simple as holding hands, or hugging, or kissing can turn any moment into a tender one. It’s more than just love when it comes to them, it’s―

“You’re thinking about something  _ really _ sappy, aren’t you.”

“Huh?”

Takasugi was plucking his carry-on off the floor and looking at him weird.

“...No.”

“Sure, sure. Let’s go.”

The train station is packed. 

Well, it always is, it’s a train station, but Katsura feels there are more people than usual. Like they’re all here to disturb his time with his lover and destroy any sense of privacy they’ll get to share. There’s a baby in a stroller staring at them already!

“Uh. Which way to the ticket booth?” Takasugi looks so much like a lost little boy Katsura can’t help the chuckle that escapes him. He tugs his arm and leads him to where he wants to go, and once they get there an old lady with glasses is scowling at them from behind the glass.

“Can I help you?” she asks. 

“I don’t know, can y―”

Katsura slaps a hand over Takasugi’s mouth like it’s the most natural thing and proceeds to give all the information the lady needs. She doesn’t smile once despite his politeness and incoherently grumbles to herself a lot. 

Katsura takes the ticket from her with a ‘thank you’, throws an arm around Takasugi’s shoulder, and guides him away. He’s surprised he hasn’t licked his hand yet or something.

“You absolute idiot! Is that the kind of thing you say to the ticket booth lady?”

Takasugi wipes his mouth with his sleeve. “She looked mean!”

“That doesn’t mean you can be passive-aggressive, got that?”

“Yeah, yeah. Where d’you wanna go next? We’ve got almost twenty minutes before I’ve gotta hop on the train.”

“Well, you said there were small shops here.”

Takasugi takes his ticket from Katsura and grins. “I did! Follow me, Zura!”

“Ah, no, gimme that. You’re gonna lose it.”

“No, I won’t!”

Katsura holds out his hand.

“I won’t!”

“...”

“Fine!” Takasugi smacks his ticket in the palm of Katsura’s hand. “Now follow me!”

Most of the shops there are meant for tourists. Souvenirs are visible in each and every one of them. There’s a tiny supermarket that sells snacks and travel-size things but they don’t go in. Neither is feeling the mood to eat and Takasugi has food enough in his bag for if he ever gets hungry. He rarely does, though, so he should be fine. 

Right now they’re arguing over two kinds of bracelets. Yes, bracelets, because Katsura likes to wear them. He’s in love with one made with dark green and black beads and an engraved silver buckle for a clasp. Takasugi prefers one that looks somewhat like a chain with its black and silver crisscross links. 

“C’mon, Zura, you already have, like, six of those!”

“I don’t have one in green. Besides, that one looks too flashy!”

“It’s  _ stylish _ ! See how unique it is!”

“I’ve never seen anyone wear something remotely like that.”

“Exactly! Which is why you should get it!”

“Ok, ok, shut it. Why don’t we get both, and you can have the one you like and I’ll take this one.”

“But I don’t wear bracelets!”

“Now you do! Here, I’ll pay.”

Katsura grabs the bracelet in Takasugi’s hand and makes a beeline for the cashier. 

“Hold on, wait! I’ll pay.”

“ _ No.  _ You need that money for your trip.”

“Do not!”

Katsura hands a few notes over to the guy behind the counter and watches as he puts the two bracelets in a small bag. He accepts his change with a smile then turns to his spluttering lover.

“There ya go. Done. Let’s get going!”

“You… I was gonna pay!”

“We’ve got ten minutes left.”

Takasugi’s eyes bulge.

“ _ What _ ?”

Katsura wraps a hand around Takasugi’s arm and once again guides him away. 

“Put yours on,” he says.

“My what?”

“Your bracelet, what else?”

“Ah, that. Give it here.”

Katsura pulls it out of the bag and hands it over. It becomes obvious after a few seconds that Takasugi is having trouble doing it with just one hand, so he does the work for him.

And it’s perfect. The bracelet looks dark since his skin is a lot lighter than it and that really brings it out. The sterling silver flashes under the artificial lighting and the whole thing fits so snugly against his wrist Katsura feels it’s been made specifically for Takasugi. 

“Whatcha think?”

Katsura’s mouth quirks into a smile.

“It’s lovely, Shinsuke.”

Takasugi brings up a hand to rub at his left eye, probably to conceal the tinge of red in his cheeks. Katsura only called him by his name when it was just the two of them, stuck in a moment that neither wished to move on from. Seriously, the guy needed to reevaluate his standards.

They’re in public, dammit!

“Don’t take it off, ‘kay?”

‘You know I can’t do that for the meetings.”

“So what? It’s just a bracelet.”

“Can’t say the same to them.”

“Alright fine, but other than that you have to keep it on.”

“Even when I sleep? Or shower?”

Katsura nods.

“What if it gets messed up?”

“It won’t. Trust me.”

“Do I have a choice? I don’t have any experience with bracelets anyway.” Takasugi runs a hand through his hair. “What time is it?”

“Uhhh… it’s five―  _ crap _ , you’re gonna be late!”

“Haah?! We were standing here for  _ two minutes _ !”

“Yeah, well your train’s on the other side of the building!”

“Fuck!”

When they reach there people are still getting on the train. It’s a huge relief because Takasugi was letting loose a colorful string of curses while they were (politely) pushing past everyone. He’d glanced down at his wrist a number of times to make sure the bracelet was still there.

“Ok, we’re here,” he says between pants.

“Yeah. Um, you got everything, right? You just had your carry-on and the jacket to hold, nothing got messed up?”

Takasugi gives everything a once-over. “Nope.”

“Okay, good. Then…”

“I’ll see ya in a bit, Zura. Keep checking your phone for updates n’ stuff, okay?”

Out of nowhere tears smart Katsura’s eyes, but he blinks them away and nods.

He doesn’t see Takasugi lean in so he can’t properly respond when he kisses him, all he can do is wrap his arms around his chest and squeeze with all his might.

Takasugi plants a few more on his cheeks and ends with his forehead before stepping away and grinning lopsidedly.

“Gotta go now! See you soon, Kotarou!”

Katsura swallows hard and nods his head again. He brings an arm up to wave at him as he steps onto the train and rubs at his wet eye with the other. 

When the train starts moving he’s about to turn around and leave, but he catches sight of two striking green eyes through the tinted windows and puckered lips blowing him one more kiss.

“Stay safe,” he chokes out.


	2. Gintoki&Hijikata

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Floof.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <strike>It's not 10/10 here yet</strike> Happy birthday to the most wonderful, amazing, [insert every positive adjective in the dictionary] sugar freak to have ever existed!!!

The second Hijikata steps out the cab, a blast of cold air slams into his face. It has him immediately putting a hand over his nose and mouth so he doesn’t breathe it all in and cause a coughing fit for his already shitty lungs. It’s pretty cold where his town is but that barely compares to the weather up north. The forecast has occasionally gone down in the negatives here and that makes him all the more grateful he doesn’t live close by.

His breath is coming out in warm puffs that he can see and the sight of it has his fingers twitching for a cigarette already. He’d held himself back from smoking in the car since the driver didn’t permit it and was so close to just rolling the window down and lighting up. He didn’t, obviously, and neither does he do it right now. Cold weather just isn’t his thing so he hastily passes through the automatic doors of the airport terminal. 

It’s nice and warm inside but his focus is on getting to Gate B15. Somewhere close to there the passengers will be exiting from the plane and he wants to waste absolutely no time in spotting Gintoki and taking him home. His flight was scheduled to arrive about an hour and a half ago but there was a delay due to the snowstorms around the airway. That meant there was still about twenty minutes until landing and even more time with Gintoki getting all his luggage and shit. 

Hijikata has mainly arrived here a bit early because the airport is full of shops, especially little restaurants. He isn’t looking for anything extravagant, just something to sate his stomach. The last thing he ate was breakfast, which was about seven hours ago, so saying he is hungry is quite an understatement. 

There’s a donut shop here that serves mostly as a cafe, so Hijikata heads in its direction. There is more than one of that company’s establishments here, probably one on each floor, that’s how popular it is. Hijikata only likes it for the coffee, he isn’t a sugar fanatic or anything.

Much to his growing annoyance, there’s a line. The person at the counter has the audacity to be chatting up a storm with the cashier and no one’s saying anything to get them to move. A family of six is up next, two parents and four kids who look deprived of any form of energy. It’s likely going to take them a long time to order and now Hijikata is really considering coming back later or going to a different shop.

He doesn’t, the line moves fairly quickly, but he checks the clock a lot. He gets paranoid at times like these and right now it’s because he’s afraid he’ll miss seeing Gintoki come out through the doors while dragging a suitcase behind him. 

When his turn comes he gives his order and pays, then tells the cashier to keep the change. Not five minutes later he’s out of there and blowing at his dark roast so he could sip from it. 

A lady’s monotone voice sounds over the speakers several times but he doesn’t pay attention to any of them. All the announcements are for international flights and are barely audible past the hubbub of people around Hijikata. 

He ambles through the food court and weighs his options for a snack. Since it’s an international airport there are all kinds of ethnic dishes served here. He’s somewhat of a picky eater compared to Gintoki; he doesn’t like things that have a tinge of sweetness or if they make too much noise when he chews. He’s become a huge fan of pizza over the years and just Italian food in general, and there’s an awesome mini-pizzeria in this food court.

No one is at the counter when he gets there so he takes a couple of minutes to peruse the menu. He takes something different each time but tends to stick to the buffalo chicken the most. He loves spice, but only the right amount of it, and that kind of pizza is the closest thing to his preferences. 

Someone comes around from the small kitchen in the back eventually, a short woman whose long ponytail is pulled through the gap behind the custom-made baseball cap she’s wearing. She’s a fast worker, Hijikata can tell, and takes his order and money in under thirty seconds. He doesn’t have to wait long for his order either, because even sooner she’s placing a small pizza box on the counter and telling him to enjoy.

The slice tastes the tiniest bit stale, but that’s okay. He may be a picky eater but come on, he’s hungry. This is one of the very few things that he eats without a generous helping of mayonnaise and right now he thinks adding some on might make this a bit better. He doesn’t have a bottle on him, surprisingly enough, but those little stations of condiments scattered around the food court most likely will. 

The one closest to his table does, though the mayonnaise is in small packets and he considers just taking the whole damn tray over to where he is. In the end, he nabs about ten or fifteen though it’s probably not enough. 

(He gets a couple of stares when he just about covers the entire top layer of the slice with mayonnaise but why should he care?)

He’s done quite quickly, so he goes to the trash can to toss the small pizza box out and heads to the restrooms to wash his hands. The closest one to the food court is a couple of hundred yards away and it’s nice to talk a short stroll to settle his filled stomach. 

It’s almost completely empty and that’s a good thing, Hijikata hates being in there when someone else is, even if it’s just to use the sink. Honestly, who came up with this concept? There’s no sense of privacy whatsoever!

The one good thing about these bathrooms is the speakers overhead that deliver announcements to people taking shits in the stalls. So when the dumb lady says something about Gate B15 Hijikata’s ears literally perk up. Someone’s using the hand-dryer and it’s loud as hell so he can’t make out everything, just a small tidbit about the plane’s location being switched to a different gate, and wow, how inconvenient can today get?

Whatever. 

Gintoki is coming home, and he’ll be seeing him for the first time in over a month. Hijikata knows that a few hours from now, all his annoyance will be well down the drain. 

-x-X-x-X-x-

Okay, what the fuck is a double-decker plane? 

Hijikata has most definitely heard of a double-decker bus and has ridden in one himself once or twice, but a _ plane_? What dumbass came up with that?

He’s standing at gate C7, keeping his eyes peeled for Gintoki. Others have started streaming out through the doors and some have already gone, but so far no silver perm. Hijikata’s secretly glad Gintoki has so many unusual features; it makes it easy to spot him at times like these. 

He rolls up his right sleeve to glance at his watch, and it tells him it’s been nearly half an hour since Gintoki’s plane had landed. Seriously, where is the guy? He’s lazy and is often late for stuff but is he really trying to tell Hijikata that it applies something as important as this too? 

Anyway, he just learned the asshole came on a double-decker plane. There was a couple that’d just walked past him a few minutes ago and both were complaining about being in ‘two planes stacked atop each other’ and the flight being too bumpy for them to get comfortable. Obviously, Hijikata was puzzled by this, but that only grew after the man at the small information desk by the door told him the plane is… _ double-decker_.

He doesn’t have acrophobia or anything but Hijikata would never want to get near that. He hates things that he doesn’t have control over and by some strange logic, planes go on the list. He’d taken that into consideration even when looking for jobs that suited his appeal, traveling long-distance was and never will be something he’d want to do. Jobs are a commitment, he knows that all too well, but he tries his best to stick to what he’s comfortable with so he can actually take some enjoyment out of what he does for a living.

There was also the prospect that he’d be away from home longer. He’d be leaving a lot behind in that kind of situation and it does give it all a sense of loneliness and want. And the reason why he knows this very well doesn’t just have to do with common sense. 

Gintoki goes away for something work-related once every two or three months, sometimes for days, sometimes for weeks. They don’t own any pets so that inevitably leaves Hijikata alone. Friends visit him a lot but they can only do so much when his lover is away. 

...Alright, this is starting to piss him off. The area is almost completely cleared. Even the damn flight attendants are filing out! If Gintoki doesn’t pop his stupid head through that door in―

A heavy hand lands on his shoulder and he’s spun around so fast he thinks his brain just got knocked around in his skull. He’s about to sock the person in the face but said face is very close to his and… and now there’s something soft and demanding on his lips. His heart suddenly leaps into his throat because he thinks this is someone he’s never met before, but then a familiar hand slides up the small of his back and holds him firmly as his upper half is pushed backward until he’s _ pretty sure _ Gintoki is dipping him. 

It’s so humiliating, doing this in public, but Hijikata’s sense of reason is easily overridden by relief. His own two hands slide up Gintoki’s muscled chest and around his shoulders to pull him closer. His nape slowly starts to strain the slightest bit from the pressure of the kiss but there’s no way he’s moving. He nips at Gintoki’s bottom lip and keeps at it until there’s a warm tongue sliding against his own and that’s when Hijikata shivers. 

Not from the cold but the heat of the moment. Kissing is usually their way of saying ‘long time no see’ and Hijikata’s perfectly okay with that because it shows how no words or speech is needed for them to communicate, even after being separated.

Gintoki brings him closer with the arm around his waist so that not only are they pressed fully against each other now but Hijikata’s head is pushed even further back. It doesn’t hurt, his left leg is sticking out so he won’t fall on his back, but it makes him shiver again, and one of his hands creeps up into Gintoki’s unruly mop he calls hair. 

He doesn’t want it to end. The fact that something as small as a kiss turned his mood upside down really speaks volumes about their relationship and their need for each other. So when Gintoki pulls back he has half a heart to whack him on the shoulder for stopping or tightening his grip on his hair to keep his head in place, but it makes him realize that his lungs are practically screaming for air. 

And it’s hard to catch his breath afterward because all he can see when he opens his eyes is Gintoki, and his breathtaking eyes and cheeks rosy from the weather and pale skin and lopsided grin. Hijikata can look at Gintoki forever and not get tired. 

“Hey.” 

God, even his _ voice_. He thought he’d still remember the way it sometimes sends tingles down his spine but that’s not the case, apparently. He doesn’t normally feel like this because Gintoki’s usually whining about something petty or he sounds lazy. They’d talked over the phone and video called, sure, but Gintoki’s rich, deep tone was always put off by static. 

Hijikata pulls him back in and this time Gintoki helps him stand upright, but one hand stays at his waist and the other on the side of his neck, right where his pulse is. The heels of Gintoki’s boots are slightly taller than Hijikata’s so there’s a minuscule height difference, and it feels strange and wonderful that he has to tilt his head back some to kiss properly. 

They’re making soft smacking noises when their lips part shortly and connect again, but it doesn’t feel soft to Hijikata. It’s like everything around him has turned to white noise and all his ears can register is what their mouths are doing and the heavy sounds from him and Gintoki are trying and failing to breathe through their noses.

They part a second time and now they push away for real. Hijikata feels dazed has to blink a couple of times to clear his head before he can get a good look at his lover. Gintoki’s all bundled up just like him in a cobalt heavy jacket. His suitcase is stood next to him and situated on the top of it is a backpack. Both have matching lollipop embroideries on them. It’s silly, but also a smart way to differentiate his stuff from everyone else’s. 

“How’ve you been?” Gintoki asks, and Hijikata purses his lips.

“Alright. I came down with a minor fever a few days after you left.”

“Did you go to work on those days?” Gintoki’s eyebrows quirk and his response is immediate. It wasn’t the first time Hijikata had gotten sick without his presence and he’s known to not care for himself properly when that happens.

“No, Kondou-san forced me to stay home. Then he visited everyday after his shift with food and hung out with me. He’s slept over a few times.”

“Whoa, what? Where’d he sleep? You didn’t share the bed, did you?”

Hijikata hits him on the shoulder. “‘Course not, moron. I was sick, and he still would’ve slept on the couch if I wasn’t. You know that.”

“Yeah, yeah, just making sure.” 

Hijikata wants to hit him again for that but doesn’t. 

“What about you, how was everything?” he asks.

Gintoki scratches the back of his head. “Eh, y’know. I wasn’t there to have fun or anything, so.”

Hijikata scoffs. “Really. You were away for a _ month _ and you’re telling me you didn’t enjoy it?”

“Well, no, I got to go sightseeing n’ stuff, but it felt weird doing it alone so I mostly stayed at the hotel.”

Hijikata’s cheeks color a bit at the implication of Ginoki missing him but he’s doesn’t comment on it. 

“Oh yeah, the hotel, how was it?”

Gintoki puts his hand on the handle of the suitcase and pushes it with him as he starts walking. He’d insisted on getting a four-wheeler since it meant he didn’t have to constantly be pulling it behind him and tiring his arms out.

“C’mon, let’s walk and talk.” Gintoki waits for Hijikata to catch up before continuing. “I wasn’t the one who paid for the rooms, the company did, so the entire trip was pretty much free. And God, Hijikata, I’ve never seen such a luxurious place! It was a suite, more like, and if there was a bed size that goes beyond king, I’d say the one in my bedroom was just that. 

“Anyway, the room had its own kitchen with a microwave and fridge and dishwasher, and even a little pantry where I put all the chips n’ stuff. There was a sitting area with two couches and a nice table between them. The bathroom was _ huge_. It had a jacuzzi and I used it everyday!”

And here Hijikata thought ‘luxurious’ was pushing it, given Gintoki’s standards. The place really did seem nice. Like a home away from home.

“If I were to be honest, though, it did feel empty a lot of the time. It was really spacious but a little big for just one person, y’know?”

“So you _ did _ miss me,” Hijikata says with a playful lilt in his words.

Gintoki stops walking and frowns at him.

“Seriously? Why would you even doubt such a thing, Hijikata? Of course I missed you, and you should know that.”

Hijikata wishes, not for the first time, that he could have control over his blushes. This time he even feels hot all over and he gives Gintoki a hard shove. 

“Heeey!”

“Shut it.”

“Aww, is Toshi blushing ‘cause of what Gin-san said?”

“_No_.”

“Uh-huh, keep telling yourself that. Anyway, there had been a burglar on the loose in our hotel’s district. Isn’t that cool?”

“_Cool_? What’s cool about that?”

Gintoki shrugs. “I dunno. But the burglar committed four reported robberies, all in the same apartment building.”

“And no one bothered to question the safety of that place?”

“I know, right? How’d she get away with _ four _ robberies in the _ same place_?”

“Whoa, wait, _‘__she__’_?”

Gintoki nods. “Yeah, the burglar was female. Apparently she had a pretty bad record already, so what’s a few more offenses gonna do?”

“Don’t say such things, idiot. Are you trying to tell me it’s fine to commit crime so long as you’ve done it before?”

“I mean, no.” Pause. “But it kinda makes sense.”

“Wha―” Is he _ seriously _ having this conversation right now? What the hell was going on during Gintoki’s trip?

“Oi, oi, don’t get me wrong! I’m not gonna start running around with a ski mask and breaking into homes!”

Hijikata shoves him again. “You _ better _ not.”

Gintoki chuckles and waves it off, and they both go silent. 

It’s odd if Hijikata thinks about it. They were separated for a whole month and only communicated online. They had so much to tell the other, there’s so much catching up to do. But here they are, basking pleasantly in comfortable silence.

Whatever, if it doesn’t make either of them feel weird, then it’s okay. 

And that’s when Gintoki decides to ruin their ‘comfortable silence’ by yawning loudly, unzipping his jacket about halfway, and reaching inside to scratch at his stomach.

“OI!” Hijikata yanks his arm out and hisses, “Not in public, dammit!”

Gintoki turns to look at him, completely unfazed.

“What? ‘S not like anyone’s paying attention to us.”

“As a matter of fact, they are. Why can’t you wear a hat or something, people keep starin’ at your hair!”

“Ah! I do have a hat, actually.” Gintoki stops walking and rummages through his backpack for a bit before pulling out a light pink winter hat with a… fuzzy thing… on top of it. There’s a strawberry embroidered on the soft material, similar to the lollipops on his luggage.

He doesn’t hesitate to put it on, and when he’s done and looking very pleased with himself, Hijikata is blushing all over again. How can he not when Gintoki is smiling like a happy little child wearing a pink hat with a fuzzy thing? Not to mention the fuzzy thing very closely resembles the hair peeking out from under the hat.

“Whatcha think?”

“Uh…” Hijikata clears his throat. “You look... childish.”

He gets bopped on the nose and Gintoki exclaims, “Good!”

-x-X-x-X-x-

It’s a one-hour drive back to their home but it feels much shorter than when Hijikata was heading to the airport. Gintoki had plopped himself down in the taxi and had all but yanked Hijikata in with him. The driver was still at the trunk of the car and loading Gintoki’s luggage in so they were able to sneak in a few kisses before he got back to the wheel. After that, they stayed the way they were, with Gintoki partially leaning against the car door and half of Hijikata’s person on top of him. 

It was so _ warm_. Honestly, Hijikata doesn’t even need to use a heater, he can just press himself against Gintoki and he’ll be nice and cozy within minutes. 

They’d shifted a couple of times, mostly because their positions got extremely uncomfortable after a few minutes, but they stayed close together. There was somewhat of a mesh barrier between the two front seats and the back ones so there wasn’t much worry of them being seen by the driver. 

Anyway, they’re home now. The taxi didn’t go directly to their apartment building so they took a shuttle bus the rest of the way and had to walk for a few minutes after that. Many a time Hijikata had considered snatching Gintoki’s hat off, the thing was starting to bother him too much, but there would be no good outcome from that, so whatever.

“Ahh, home sweet home!” Gintoki says the minute they enter. He doesn’t bother with removing his boots, just marches onto the _ (brand-new) _ carpet and flops onto the sitting area’s sofa. Hijikata has to pry them off his feet, and then his hat and jacket go off too. He knows Gintoki is just going to use the lame excuse of ‘I’m _ tired_, I was traveling all day!’ on him so he wheels his suitcase into their bedroom without saying anything. 

Once everything is settled down he joins his lover on the couch, sitting criss-cross, and that’s apparently Gintoki’s cue to wriggle around until his head is on Hijikata’s right thigh. 

“Oi, turn up the heater unit,” Gintoki mumbles. “‘M kinda cold.”

“How are you cold and not me?”

“I dunno. Just go do it, pleeease?”

Hijikata huffs. “Yeah, yeah, just move yer head. I’ll grab you a blanket instead.”

“M’kay.”

Hijikata gently lifts Gintoki’s head, gets up off the couch, places it even more gently back on the cushion, and heads to the closet where the vacuum is stored to pick out a blanket. He’s also craving one, frankly, and a really fluffy one too. There’s this big one with candy print that Gintoki had bought home one day and despite its appearance, Hijikata had fallen in love with it. The thing was so soft and coupled with his human body heater, it’s pure bliss.

So he grabs it off the shelf and walks back to where Gintoki is lying the same way as how he’d left him. 

“Oi, get up for a sec, I wanna do something.”

“No!”

“Don’t make me do it myself.”

“Fine!”

Gintoki rolls off, his head mere inches away from the table sat in front of him, and just stays put there sprawled out on the floor. Hijikata unfolds the blanket and lays it on the entirety of the couch with its inside facing up. There’s a lot of it hanging on the couch’s back, which is a good thing.

“Ok, go back on.”

Gintoki obeys, and Hijikata grabs the end of the blanket that was on the couch’s back and covers him with it before crawling in himself. Thank God the couch is nice and big because there’s no risk of either falling off indeliberately. 

Hijikata almost groans at how wonderful it feels after Gintoki’s arms go around him and pull him close. There’s a warm body behind him and a huge chunk of softness for him to wrap himself up in. Right now the cloth is a little cold but it definitely won’t be for long. 

He can feel Gintoki’s breath at his ear, and the warm puffs send pleasant tingles rolling through him. He’s been craving this for weeks, and when it’s finally come to him he doesn’t want to do anything else. Gintoki likely needs a shower Hijikata does too actually, and they need to change and get ready for bed. It’s clear neither of them wants to get up anytime soon, though, so they don’t.

They can deal with that shit come morning.

-x-X-x-X-x-

Morning does come, no matter how much Hijikata pleads for it not to. There’s sunlight streaming in through the curtains but he knows it’s not warm, it never is in the winter. Gintoki is snoring softly behind him and that’s a huge relief, but it does make it harder for Hijikata to shimmy off the couch. He stays put for the time being and sticks to silently relishing his lover’s presence and _ thinking_.

For most of his life, Hijikata had been an independent man. He didn’t have a proper childhood and after losing his mother, he just felt alone. Tamegoro had always been there for him and still is― though he has his own wife and daughter to care for now― but other than that, Hijikata avoided people and refused to create bonds with others. 

Meeting Kondou and later on Sougo and Mitsuba had changed that. They were his first real friends (though for some time he and Mitsuba were more than that) and gave him the sense of a true family. It was the first time he felt genuinely wanted so he did and still does everything in his power to maintain those relationships. He and Sougo quarrel a lot, it’s almost a given honestly, but it’s clear neither is serious or dead-set on actually harming the other.

And so what a whirlwind Sakata Gintoki had been. They didn’t start off well, to say the least. The first time they met was in a lecture hall at their university. Gintoki had been lounging in his seat chewing on a pencil and Hijikata probably didn’t have his coffee that morning, so he was beyond annoyed. The not-so-little skirmish they had while the professor droned on had gotten them kicked out of class. 

Right off the bat Hijikata hated Gintoki’s guts and wanted to rip them from his body, which is why this is all so surreal. He’s guessing Gintoki just had that charm to his personality that slowly drew Hijikata in, and sometime after they became friends they shared their first kiss and became lovers.

They stuck together ever since, and Hijikata won’t ever forget the humiliation he felt when Gintoki, much like he had at the airport, had snatched off his cap _and_ dipped him _ and _ kissed him _ right there _ in front of the _ entire _ graduating class when his name was called up for his diploma. That was the one year Hijikata regretted doing well in his classes, because he and the valedictorian had to stay up on stage and help with congratulating their friends and classmates.

If he knew Gintoki would do that before taking his diploma from him he’d have shoved it in the headmaster’s direction and backed off. 

What he doesn’t understand to this day is that _ no one _ said anything! When Hijikata had composed himself after that he whipped his head around to see his teachers smiling and even _ cooing _ over it. Even people in the crowd were going ‘awww’ like there was actually something cute to look at.

That wasn’t the last time Gintoki had done that. It’s partially why Hijikata wasn’t all that bothered back at the airport; he’s pretty much gotten used to being part of such a display in public. 

He hears a soft groan behind him that lets him know Gintoki is waking up. What a mood killer. Now the child will start complaining about how hungry he is and how gross he feels. They’re both used to functioning on a few hours’ sleep and rising before the sun, but when they’re stuck in situations like _ this _ Hijikata prefers to stay smooshed against his lover for as long as possible, thank you very much. 

“Mmmrgh, what time ‘s it?” 

Hijikata wants to knock his fist back into Gintoki’s head so he’d lose consciousness for a bit more, but he mumbles, “Little after nine.”

Gintoki hums pleasantly and tightens his arms around Hijikata. “Good. Wanna sleep more.”

Hijikata has to agree, and he’s more than willing to succumb to all this too, but then Gintoki’s stomach ruins everything by making a sound that very closely resembles a dying whale.

“Urgh, _ shit_. ‘M hungry.”

“‘Course you are. You probably didn’t eat on the plane, did ya? You’re always going on about how repulsive airplane food is.”

“_Don’t _ get me started. That stuff doesn’t even pass for food. Once they served pancakes by slathering jam or something on them then rolling them up and stuffing them in a foil container. That was so nasty.”

“Are you really gonna say this stuff when you’re hungry?”

“Well, we do have something in the fridge… right?”

“_ Yes _, of course. Now, move. I need to piss.”

“Don’t take forever, got that?”

Hijikata hums and crawls out from under the cover. Gintoki’s arms go limp around his waist and retract when he’s fully off the couch. 

Good Lord, it’s freezing! There are shivers running up his spine already. He’s wearing a sweater and everything but it’s not doing jackshit against the cold. 

He stumbles over to the bathroom, cursing as his warm feet hit the tiled floor. 

It’s even worse that it takes at least thirty seconds for the tap water to heat up. The pipes in the bathroom are close to the apartment building’s exterior, which means the weather has an almost direct effect on the water’s temperature. The same goes for the shower, and it’s something that really ticks Hijikata off at this time of the year. 

Hell, even the toothpaste feels cold in his mouth! He has very sensitive teeth which is why he doesn’t like eating ice cream or having drinks with excessive ice and strongly believes there _ could _ be a second toothpaste flavor aside from mint. Right now it’s as if his gums and tongue are growing numb.

A fist bangs on the door followed by a muffled yell that sounds a lot like Gintoki saying “Hurry up!”, so Hijikata quickly rinses his mouth, towels his face dry, and steps out the bathroom.

“I’ll go make breakfast. Anything in particular you want?”

Gintoki rubs a hand against his eye and shakes his head. His shoulders are slouched and it’s clear he’s trying his best not to doze off just standing there.

Hijikata curls a hand around his arm to stop him. “No, seriously, what do you want?”

“Mmmmm… donuts.”

“We don’t have donuts in the house.”

“Then get ‘em.”

“Not now, I’ll get ‘em later.”

Gintoki had the door almost completely shut but it gets swung open again at Hijikata’s answer. “Ehh? How come?”

_ Don’t wanna be away from you yet_. “I don’t feel like it. ‘S too early.”

Gintoki watches him silently, eyes narrowed and droopy, then shrugs and finally says, “Yeah, you’re right, ‘s too early. Get ‘em later though, ‘kay?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Hijikata grabs the doorknob and closes the bathroom door before Gintoki finds something else to say. 

He heads to their bedroom to change into something else. He hasn’t had the chance to put all his summer apparel away, even after all those months, so his side of the closet is a little untidy. Obviously it doesn’t compare to Gintoki’s mound of clothing, but that’s just how Gintoki is and nothing Hijikata ever says will get him to neaten things up a bit.

He has to dig through his stuff some before finally catching sight of a thick wool sweater. For some reason, he couldn’t find it in the past month and had unintentionally turned the closet upside down in search of it. It’s jade green and had been made by Tamegoro’s wife. 

It also has a large dark stain smack dab on the front of it.

Hijikata sighs and tosses it over his shoulder, then gets right back to digging. Really, when did that stain even get there? Shouldn’t he have washed it immediately after?

Whatever. He’ll just find a less cozy one and put up with that. 

Except… he can’t find any. There are thin long-sleeved shirts and whatnot but he can’t find anything he’s looking for. He unearths a pair of striped fuzzy pajama bottoms and decides to hastily throw them on but other than that, he’s not satisfied.

Really though, he should be in the kitchen whipping something up, so anything should do, right? He chances a glance at Gintoki’s mess and finds a black hoodie sleeve peeking through, so he grabs on and tugs at it until the rest of it reveals itself, takes off the sweater he’s wearing, and then pulls it over his head. 

Surprisingly, it doesn’t stink; in fact, Gintoki’s scent is all over it. That’s a little hard to grasp given how much time has passed since the other has last worn it but being enveloped by the smell of strawberry milk and musk is appealing enough for him to let it go. 

Since Gintoki’s build is a bit broader than Hijikata’s own, the hoodie is somewhat loose on him. The sleeves reach his knuckles and the whole of it isn’t tight or snug against his body. It’s like being wrapped around a blanket or something.

Not to his surprise, there’s a giant strawberry emblazoned on the chest. Its colors look bright and bold since they’re being offset by black. They remind him of the hat Gintoki was wearing last night and well, his cheeks start burning again.

He suspects they already were, actually, because he’s not one to just randomly put on Gintoki’s clothes. He’s always found something embarrassing about it and reasoned that it was completely unnecessary. The times when he does wear them are exceedingly rare and almost always done when Gintoki is away on a business trip and no one is there to see him with them on.

Hijikata jerks when he hears a low whistle behind him, followed by, “You should wear my clothes more often.”

He stands up and whirls his head around to see Gintoki grinning at him from the bed. His arms are crossed and Hijikata’s suspecting he’s been there awhile.

“H-how long were you there for?”

Gintoki shrugs. He looks a lot fresher than he did half an hour ago. “I came when you tossed this over your shoulder.” He holds up Hijikata’s green sweater. “And yeah, I saw you change your pants.”

A new blush just about slams into Hijikata’s face and leaves him spluttering and furious. How dare the dipshit do such a thing!

“You― y-you’re so unbelievable you know that? Get out, asshole, and go eat something!”

Gintoki doesn’t budge, and neither does his grin.

“‘M waiting for you to finish up here. This is the first time we’ll be sharing a meal in so long, ne?”

“Shut it! There’s probably only cereal or whatever, so there won’t be anything special about it.”

“So what? What we’re gonna eat has no effect on the mood, or whatever the word is for it. Anyway, you should wear my clothes more often.”

“You already said that, bastard!” Hijikata gripes. “I’m takin’ this off.” He hooks his finger at the hem of the hoodie and that’s all he gets done before Gintoki all but swoops in and takes hold of his hands.

“Whoa, hey, hold on! I was only teasing!” 

“Uh-huh. Let go.”

“No, okay, wait.” Gintoki tightens his grip. “That’s my favorite hoodie, and probably the comfiest thing I own. Keep it on, I know you get cold easily.”

Hijikata rolls his tongue around in his cheek and wiggles his hands to get Gintoki to let go but he doesn’t. He resorts to glaring hard at Gintoki, who watches back, and they would have gone at it for a long time were it not for his own stomach giving a low growl.

“Ah!” Gintoki exclaims. “Someone’s hungry! C’mon, no wasting time here, Mayora, your tummy’s waiting!”

Hijikata’s hands are freed and Gintoki instead guides an arm around his shoulder to steer him out of the room. He doesn’t even put up a fight, just lets himself be led to the kitchen where obviously nothing is waiting for him because Gintoki is expecting _ him _to do the work.

Truth be told, Hijikata doesn’t mind in the least. Gintoki’s company is something he’s grown used to over so many years, and though the guy is an annoying slob he still is his lover. They’ve been through thick and thin and will continue to do so because that’s what their relationship means to them. Doing work for the other isn’t necessarily seen as “work” to either, it’s more of their ways of saying how greatly appreciated and wanted this bond is for them.

So when Gintoki drops his arm, shoves him toward the kitchen with his hip and plops his own ass on the sofa to cuddle with the blanket he’d left there, Hijikata has no problem with the smile making its way onto his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <strike>Pssst, Gintoki had taken Toshi's green sweater with him, it's why Toshi couldn't find it.</strike>


End file.
